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As we near the four month mark since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, employers continue to adjust to the “new normal,” particularly in light of new and changing government requirements and initiatives. While many Canadian businesses are well on the road to reopening, many have been required to reframe what their workplace looks like […]

Ontario Regulation 530/20 amends Ontario Regulation 364/20 to make it compulsory for businesses or organizations that are open to operate in compliance with the advice, recommendations and instructions issued by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health on screening individuals, which includes the recommendations set out in COVID-19 Screening Tool for Workplaces (Businesses […]

UPDATE:  Bill C-2, An Act relating to economic recovery in response to COVID-19, received Royal Assent on October 2, 2020. The Federal Government has announced the introduction of Bill C-2, An Act relating to economic recovery in response to COVID-19, to create three new temporary Recovery Benefits for Canadians who are unable to work for reasons […]

Introduction Canadians have been blindsided by the COVID-19 health and economic crisis. The impact has been swift, painful, and enduring. In March 2020 alone, Canada lost a record one million jobs. In the face of this crisis, Parliament passed legislation creating the COVID-19 Economic Response Plan – an unprecedented economic assistance program. As part of […]

On Friday, April 17, federal Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault announced that the Government plans to give $500 million to the “entertainment industry”, which he defined as including arts, culture, and sports organizations.  The Minister specifically mentioned “non-profits” as being possible recipients of this funding; however he did not refer to registered charities.  Since many arts […]

This article concerns the recently-imposed COVID-19 vaccination requirements for cross-border truckers returning to Canada from the United States. On Jan. 15, 2022, following a period of considerable uncertainty, Canada’s federal government moved forward with its plan to impose a COVID-19 vaccination requirement on cross-border truck drivers entering Canada. The new federal rules affect all cross-border […]

Over the past two months, governments across the country have begun implementing various vaccination measures in an effort to curb rising COVID-19 case numbers. All provincial governments have announced or have begun implementing some form of vaccine passport system to restrict access to certain non-essential businesses to only fully vaccinated individuals or, in some instances, […]

Today, the Ontario Government announced further amendments to extend the maximum periods of temporary layoffs to January 2, 2021, before they could be deemed to be terminations under the Employment Standards Act, 2000. The goal is to preserve jobs longer, and avoid costly termination and severance costs which, for some businesses, may be the difference […]

On March 24, 2021, Minister of Finance and President of the Treasury Board, Peter Bethlenfalvy released Ontario’s budget for 2021, Ontario’s Action Plan: Protecting People’s Health and Our Economy. The 2021 Budget is a response to COVID-19 and is the second Budget released during the pandemic. Protecting People’s Health is the first pillar of the […]

Please beware that on August 20, 2020, the Ontario government (the “Government”) issued a news release providing that the order pertaining to the suspensions of limitations period made under the Emergency Management and Civil Protections Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.9 (the “EMCPA”), will end and suspended limitation periods will resume running on September 14, 2020.[1] […]